ANTIMONOPOLY POLICY IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY: WKDA AND MARKET EXPERTS DISCUSSED AT THE DIGITAL BRIDGE FORUM

Chairman of the agency for protection and development of competition of Kazakhstan Marat Omarov, speaking at the Digital Bridge 2023 forum, shared his vision of the digital economy in Kazakhstan and the importance of regulating this dynamically developing sector.

In his speech, Marat Omarov noted that the rapid growth in the number of mobile devices and the emergence of innovative local services, such as financial technologies, delivery of goods and food, testify to the growth of the digital economy in the country. Citizens of Kazakhstan are actively interested in new services and are ready to make online payments.

However, as Marat Omarov noted, the market of the digital economy in Kazakhstan is still small and many companies do not reach the average level of development. An important issue is the lack of legal registration of digital platforms that are actively used in Kazakhstan, which indicates a limited market.

With the onset of the digital age, the main categories of antimonopoly legislation undergo significant changes. Marat Omarov focused on the importance of open and equal rules of the game, as well as on meeting the needs of citizens of Kazakhstan for high-quality innovative services.

The current legislation requires updating, and the BCA is ready to take into account the problems of the main stakeholders – both citizens of Kazakhstan and business representatives, in order to properly adapt to new challenges.

"Our main client is a citizen of Kazakhstan. What is important for him is the choice between high – quality, innovative service and services. Together with all this, we will form regulation," Marat Omarov said, adding that the antimonopoly authority is ready to openly discuss the rules of the game with market participants.

Marat Omarov concluded his speech with the conviction that the development and regulation of the digital economy should support and contribute to the growth of developing sectors, while maintaining the principle of equality and transparency.

The discussion with Marat Omarov was attended by William Bentall, Global Director of power relations at Glove, Kaspi.kz Managing Director Sabyrzhan Berkinbayev, General Director of Kolesa Group Dmitry Botanov, deputy head of the Gr Ozon direction Mukhamed Khamukov and Deputy General Director for interaction with state bodies of the Aliexpress CIS Sergey Lebedev.

Experts discussed the level of services of Kazakhstan's digital platforms in comparison with the world level, whether the antimonopoly regulator needs to restrain or assist companies and how Kazakhstani marketplays should compete with digital giants.

Panel session: "digital markets of Kazakhstan. Digital Bridge 2023 was organized with the support of the Digital Kazakhstan Association" competition with digital giants".